Home to various kinds of good bacteria, the ideal healthy gut plays a key role in maintaining the overall health of the body. Good bacteria are considered vital in performing biological functions inside the gut that ensure better well-being.
Maintaining a balanced microbiome, healthy gut bacteria protects the body from inflammation, diseases and promotes mental health. But, certain types of intestinal bacteria can contribute to diseases and make it difficult to build a better gut.
One of the major factors responsible for impacting our gut health is what we consume. It is not without a reason that healthy eating is promoted all around us. There are ample options available in food items that can help us to restore the gut microbiome, and can be added by you to your healthy gut diet plan. Along with food, lifestyle changes contribute well-enough in outnumbering bad gut health outcomes. So the question is, how to restore healthy gut flora?
Ways to Ensure a Healthy Gut
Here are some tips that one can easily incorporate in his/her lifestyle for sustaining a healthy gut flora:
1. Probiotics for Gut Health
Probiotics prove effective in supporting a healthy gut. Studies have shown that probiotics can restore gut bacteria to healthy levels. Probiotics benefit gut health in numerous ways. One can incorporate live fermented food items in their daily diet as these serve as great sources of natural probiotics. Below are options that may increase the probiotics intake in the body traditionally to maintain a healthy gut – cheese, yoghurt, and lacto-fermented pickles
2. Healthy Food Choices
Gut bacterial cells happen to love edible plants. Most likely, we fail to add leafy food options to our diet due to our taste preferences. They often fail to please our taste buds. It is likely to result in chronic inflammation, weight gain and metabolic problems. If you are wondering how to improve gut health, here are some of the foods for healthy gut bacteria that can promise improved gut health: barley, wholegrains, and legumes.
3. Regular Exercise
Exercising regularly offers many benefits to our body. It is a way of pampering the body and making it aware that its fitness matters. How to improve gut bacteria with exercise?
When it comes to making ways for improved gut health, certain exercises are not only easy to do but are quite effective. While the following exercises do not require a gymnasium they can help achieve a healthy gut human body – walking, jogging, and dancing.
4. Say No to Stress
One of the mood and health-killing culprits is stress. It impacts physical, mental and emotional health in all negative ways. The gut microbiome gets affected by stress and this, in turn, affects the functioning of other body organs like the brain. Hence, it becomes essential to remain calm and stress-free.
No wonder that gut microbes end up influencing our mood hormones and stress levels. If you are seeking how to increase good bacteria in gut naturally, here are some of the techniques that can help in handling stress – deep breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and counselling.
5. Less Sugar Intake
Sugar rules the kitchen of most Indian households. But, refined sugar does no good to our gut health. It upsets the balance needed by the gut and affects metabolism too. Its high intake can even result in an increased risk of diabetes, heart diseases and obesity. When it comes to the question how to improve your gut health, it is a must to avoid the following options when it comes to choosing food items for healthy gut bacteria:
- i Soft drinks
- ii Artificial sweeteners
- iii Processed food items
However, one must not confuse sugars with complex carbs that are needed for gut bacteria to survive and thrive.
6. Avoid Snacking
To munch on something delicious is what we all crave. But, snacking for the sake of it would not promote your gut health. Undoubtedly, eating triggers a healthy immune response. However, eating all the time offers no good. Healthy eating is what we all should aim for to lead a happy and fit life.
Some options can keep us full for longer and help us to avoid binge-snacking – proteins, fibres, and healthy fats
7. Sound Sleep
Certainly, everyone has a biological clock to follow for healthy living. It is interesting to note that gut bacteria in the body have a schedule to follow too. Sleep deprivation ends up disturbing the gut bacteria, which further affects digestion and the body’s gut microbiomes. How to improve gut health naturally? Here is something that can be done to ensure sound sleep every day:
- i Set a bedtime routine
- ii Avoid screens while sleeping
- iii Keep a check on what you eat before going to bed
Conclusion
Avoiding vitamin supplements along with the unnecessary use of painkillers and antibiotics is another way to keep gut health in check. Also, one must steer clear of excessive alcohol consumption and sweeteners as these result in reduced gut diversity.
One of the key aspects of working on better gut microbiomes is to know the science behind it. Self-research can be useful in multiple ways to understand how important is our gut health to attain the balance that our body seeks.
Before it turns too late, know whether your gut is upset or happy.
